Friday night ride, Bend OR.

Hello all,
Just posting to see if anyone is interested in doing a night ride Friday 10/19? I'm thinking meet at Phil's trail hub at 6:45pm and put in 1-2 hours on the trails. As the days get shorter, but the trail conditions get better, one must find time to ride.

Please post if you are interested. It's always nice to have a riding partner or 5 while riding at night. Hate to get stuck out there all alone.

Bend weather and trail conditions?

As I am drowning here in Ptown, thinking of heading to Bend this weekend to ride since wife is going to be out of town with child and I got a "get out of jail and ride some trail pass".

Any current weather/trail report updates with snow levels? Last time I was there in end of Sept, most the trails were pretty dusty still from the summer, so I missed the primo Central Oregon fall trail riding that I try to make sure i do every year. Planning to ride sometime Sat and early Sun. if anyone is interested? I ride a heavy bike, but still can cover some ground and like to ride fast going down. N. Fork/Flagline/S. Fork Fork is probably my fave (and under snow now), but love Mrazek, Whoops and all the others too!

Dirt.

Bend trails are.....how you say? Very nice, yes.

The trails were a bit on the soggy side today. At the top of Kent's was wet. Decided to come down Kent's cross over to Ben's and back to Phil's trail head. Short and sweet! I felt like I made my own Jump Park Fun!

The upper tails should be rippin' over the weekend, If we receive limited amounts of rain. Over the next three days the dirt will be in very good condition...tacky. The snow level has taken over the upper trails. I have not been up there, but my connections tell me there were snow patches on Flagline last weekend. The moisture has most likely brougth more snow.

Please post on this thread if there is any interest in forming a group night ride. Rides during the week in Bend is the plan. Lets see if we locals can stretch the riding season as best we can. Post a specific day, time, and meeting spot for the ride.

Note: Webcyclery is posting a night group ride on Tuesdays, so that day is covered.

lower trails should be fine by later today if you like 40 degree riding.....

getting warmer by Monday

Thanks for the head's up Tap! I am probably going to hold off riding til tomorrow and ride someplace in the Gorge and enjoy some peace and quiet at home for once. Like to hook up with you for a ride sometime, maybe with Jay as well. I had a phenonemenal loop ride on N. fork/Flagline/S.Fork and some moto style DH'ing down Kwohl Butte and some good ol' trail riding on Storm King a few weeks ago and hoping to get out there one more time before it is shut down for the season.

It's more of the fact that it has gone up a lot in the last 2 years. They claim that it is to fund improvements, but having worked there, the problem wasn't the equipment, but the manager(s) in charge of maintaining the equipment. Lots of bad politics leading it to be the Enron of Central Oregon

It's more of the fact that it has gone up a lot in the last 2 years. They claim that it is to fund improvements, but having worked there, the problem wasn't the equipment, but the manager(s) in charge of maintaining the equipment. Lots of bad politics leading it to be the Enron of Central Oregon

Are you baiting me into dragging this thread even more off topic than it already is?...

Don't even bring up the weather... okay, I will... consistenly worst weather of ANY place I have ever been. Most of the time 2/3 of the "world class terrain" are inaccessible (statistically the summit is only open 20% of the season) because of bad visibility, rain/freezing mist, and wind.

Are you baiting me into dragging this thread even more off topic than it already is?...

Don't even bring up the weather... okay, I will... consistenly worst weather of ANY place I have ever been. Most of the time 2/3 of the "world class terrain" are inaccessible (statistically the summit is only open 20% of the season) because of bad visibility, rain/freezing mist, and wind.

I've had too many days at Bachelor when not only the Summit was closed, but NW chair was closed due to "mechanical issues" but when I catch the "perfect day" after 3-5 days of storms, and I'm on the 1st 20 or 30 chairs up to the Summit, it's worth the big bucks plus plenty more. If I only had a crystal ball to know when those perfect fays were coming. I have a 2.5 hour drive out to Bachelor, so it's always a crap shoot.

Hey Nat, do you get any guest passes with that season pass? I could always use a sponsor!!!

Guest passes.. HAH. Bachelor is so tight with their pass vouchers that you either have to work there Christmas day (I got one in the 1.5 years I worked there for working Xmas), or get stuck on the lift for more than 30 minutes. I used to get half off vouchers at Snowbird from the employees all the time, but here that sort of perk is near non-existent. I even got half off at jackson hole for flashing my bachelor season pass. There is a ski industry wide employee reciprocal program where visiting employees from other resorts get free or highly discounts passes, and Bachelor was one of the stingiest (ie. free for Bachie person to ride at Meadows, but Meadows person would only get 25 or 50% off) claiming that others were not their equal.

After a good storm cycle, the crowds stand at the summit turnstiles for up to 2 hours waiting for ski patrol to blast the cornice and clear the summit for opening (I've done it). Then you generally only get 2 runs before everything is pretty tracked up. Anymore, Bachelor gets pretty tracked out by noon on sick powder days. There are very few stashes that survive a full day (let alone making it past noon). You want crazy good pow days, take a trip to SLC in late March or early April. They frequently get late season 12-24 inch dumps, and by then most of the weekend warriors are on to summer sports, and you can make laps in waist deep mormon pow-pow for several days in a row from one storm. Ahhh the memories....

Guest passes.. HAH. Bachelor is so tight with their pass vouchers that you either have to work there Christmas day (I got one in the 1.5 years I worked there for working Xmas), or get stuck on the lift for more than 30 minutes. I used to get half off vouchers at Snowbird from the employees all the time, but here that sort of perk is near non-existent. I even got half off at jackson hole for flashing my bachelor season pass. There is a ski industry wide employee reciprocal program where visiting employees from other resorts get free or highly discounts passes, and Bachelor was one of the stingiest (ie. free for Bachie person to ride at Meadows, but Meadows person would only get 25 or 50% off) claiming that others were not their equal.

After a good storm cycle, the crowds stand at the summit turnstiles for up to 2 hours waiting for ski patrol to blast the cornice and clear the summit for opening (I've done it). Then you generally only get 2 runs before everything is pretty tracked up. Anymore, Bachelor gets pretty tracked out by noon on sick powder days. There are very few stashes that survive a full day (let alone making it past noon). You want crazy good pow days, take a trip to SLC in late March or early April. They frequently get late season 12-24 inch dumps, and by then most of the weekend warriors are on to summer sports, and you can make laps in waist deep mormon pow-pow for several days in a row from one storm. Ahhh the memories....

I always try to appreciate the fact that I'm fortunate enough to even be dicking around at a ski area at all, even if the weather is foul, the visibility is naught, and the lines are long. I'm sure it beats making $2 hemostats 14 hours per day in a sweltering newly-industrialized country somewhere, or being in a wheelchair with a spinal cord injury. I can focus on the good or I can focus on the bad; it's a choice I make.

Here's the view from my deck last week. It would have been nice if only all those damned palm trees weren't in the way! Just kidding.